One of the hardest aspects has to be the lack of "glory." In a sport where the winner is considered the world’s greatest all-around athlete, why aren't they given more air time?
As a TV director, it's hard to cover. It takes a lot of work to explain the scoring to the fans. They can't see it easily. Field events in general are hard to cover. Then, because it takes so long, you have to cover it by editing a package. Usually they take the easy way out, show the package of the first 9 events (that have happened over the last 36 hours) then watch the guys struggle through their worst event where the actual winner is the guy crossing the finish line 30 seconds after the first runner in the race.
Cuz truth is Rugby, Aussie Rules, and ice hockey are better athletes. They just use different techniques. A decathlon is essentially an NFL combine with a cardio test.
As a former decathlete, the minutes in the lead up to the 1500m feel something like the dread of being in the trenches at Gallipoli waiting for the order to charge into gunfire. The end of the 1500 is something akin to a trauma ward. I did one in 2 days of 100+ degree heat. One of the competitors lost 12kg during the event. It's a brutal sport with never ending nagging injuries and foot soreness. There's a kind of code to never mention the 1500m during the 2 day event as the mere thought of it is instantly demoralizing.
That’s an incredible perspective! Love the Gallipoli comparison. Losing 12kg in 100+ degree heat is insane, and the way the 1500m hangs over the whole event, unspoken but inevitable, says so much about the mental and physical toll. Thanks for sharing-it really highlights just how brutal the decathlon truly is.
Allergies were killing me during the discus...anything can get you lol honestly I didn't think it was that hard but there was a lot of dred knowing you gotta finish with a damn 1500m
@@eastsidepb8139 How did I know that a fellow competitor lost 12kg? He told me. I believed it, as I saw him shrink, and lost 6kg myself. He ran a 4.12 1500m btw, I ran 4.30. He was a beast, came 2nd in that Nationals, me 6th.
My second year in junior college, I was in the best shape of my life. Was convinced I could do anything. Told the decathlon coach that I wanted to try the event. He told me me not waste his time and I kept on telling him I wanted to do it. He gave it a one second thought and told me to report to the pole vault for that day’s practice. That’s when my decathlete journey ended lol
True there are a lot of athletes from poor countries with great potential for the decathlon but do not have the opportunity unless they leave their countries.
Access to a track is getting harder and harder. With each track they build, they build a better fence. Track owners (in the USA; schools) are freaked out about liability for an injury and pole vault freaks them out the most. Climbing a fence is an essential skill decathletes need to develop. The diplomacy to get the keys to the vault equipment is one of the next skills to learn.
"if the average person trained like we do it would kill them, literally" 🤣 Totally agree. It's absolutely the hardest event in t&f, most people have no idea how insanely difficult the decathlon is. Training for even 1 or 2 events at that level is a full on commitment but 10? Crazy. Serious respect to all decathletes!
The time commitment is insane. You can alternate throwing days when not training for running events but disc and javelin have huge time requirements just to get quality technique down. Shot put has the lowest time requirement but the biggest weight room requirement-thankfully time requirement covers all events. The three shirt running events overlap with running a time need with long jump and a bit of high jump but it’s not wise to sprint train on the track daily. Pole vault had the biggest need for everything and the most dangerous event to be weak in. If you’re only vaulting 4.5m you better be a 17m plus shot putter AND 65-70m javelin thrower AND a 55m plus disc thrower AND a 7.75m plus long jumper. This doesn’t include the physical and mental endurance training needed of hours between events. It’s easily 10-12 hours in the gym and minimum of 20 hours on the track and 25-35 hours on the field per week.
yea i love watching all thoes pros at the end falling over and dying after a 4:45 1500m..... Wish I couldn't say I did that sophomore year of high school. All you guys train is fast twitch fibers for explosive strength events. And you need to be tall for 110 hurdles and high jump. Add in you need to come from money to have access pole vault stuff (and someone that can coach it) and its pretty much a sport for tall upper-middle class dudes.
I’m a college decathlete right now and one thing this video does not mention is the fact that you can only allow yourself to do so many decathlons in a year especially when it comes to professional. These guys might only do 3 decathlons total during a spring/summer season just because of the mental and physical toll it has on them. Dialing in a so call perfect decathlon is one of the biggest challenges too there’s almost always something that goes south.
As a freshman in highschool I did the decathalon, it was so much fun, I was able to do events I didnt get to do during the rest of the season and overall wasnt a bad experience. BUT. i placed very low, because I wasn't being competitve. there was this guy, about 6'5, and ripped, senior year, and he was a decathlete through and through. his discus was over 100, jav over 120, pole vault at 12, while running a 11.7 100. I would go through the rest but I dont remember them lol. he was incredible, but after all of that, he went to the 1500 in first place, and pulled a hamstring on the third lap. he dropped to about 70th. my heart broke for him.
The sad part about the decathlon is I won the 2024 NJCAA D III National championship and hardly nobody I know knows what the decathlon is so when I share that fact they have no idea what I’m talking about. I hope the track events gets some more light shined on to it becuase I feel it deserves a lot more respect
Ok, I'm impressed. While I still think Boxing/MMA is harder (due to lasting physical trauma), definitely have a new appreciation for how hard the decathlon is, even the training. Great video and info!
Duplantis just ran a sub 10.4. Pole vaulters usually are good long jumpers too. He might be a complete question mark on the throws but he can pick up over 3000 point by his 100m time, vaulting over 6m and jumping over 7m.
It's so annoying the 100-400 track stars get most of the publicity (with PED suspicion) but the decathletes rarely get shown even at olympic level, and only 3 attempts at throwing events!
I wish the event got more recognition and TV coverage, at least now if you get peacock you can pretty much watch the whole thing. Still there wasn't any prime-time coverage of the Pole Vault where Warner no-heighted which was crazy.
Great video! I have my first decathlon coming up in a couple months and am so nervous for it but excited! Get to push I body to the limit and see what I can handle
Thanks so much! That's awesome-congrats on taking on your first decathlon! It’s totally normal to feel nervous, but that excitement will fuel you when you’re out there. Wishing you the best of luck-go crush it and see what you’re capable of!
I guess I've pretty much seen it all. I trained at the same time as Bruce Jenner (1976 Olympics) on the same track. I competed against Bob Richards and Boo Morcom in decathlons. They were in the 1948 Olympics. On through Georg Werthner 1980, John Crist 1984, Tim Bright 1988 and Dave Johnson 1992. I must be one stubborn SOB because I beat most of them in one or two events but got slaughtered in others and cumulatively. Since then, as an old man, I've officiated Ashton Eaton 2012-6, Damien Warner 2020 and Lindon Victor 2024.
The hurdles can be intimidating, especially when you're on the shorter side. But don’t let that hold you back-there are plenty of athletes who’ve excelled despite being shorter. You might surprise yourself.
Thank you. Ultra trail running is definitely an incredible test of endurance and mental toughness. The sheer distance and unpredictable terrain push athletes to their limits in a way that's hard to compare. I think they are different tests of human capacity.
I had to look that one up. 20 events in 2 days is insane. Adding the steeplechase, 800m, 5k, 400 hurdles etc. and finishing with the 10k. I can't wrap my mind around how athletes can finish that and live, great topic for another video.
Olympic style decathlon is not hardest. It takes place over two days. How much time you have in between events again? Aussie Rules, Ice Hockey and Rugby are far harder and a real measure of a man. Heck even Spartan Race or Crossfit (both are types of multiple event races) are harder too. Is like those people think NBA players are athletic cuz of combine numbers. Is the NFL combine hard?
Thanks for sharing your perspective! Every sport has its own unique challenges, but what makes the decathlon so demanding is the sheer range of skills it requires - speed, strength, endurance, and technical ability across ten very different events. Two days may sound manageable, but the toll it takes, both physically and mentally, is intense.
No. Decathlon is a sport for 6'2 185 lb men with explosive strength and access to expensive pole vault equipment. You have 3 jumps, 3 sprints, 3 throws, and 1 semi-endurance event. If you take out the 110H and the high jump (which both heavily favor athletes in the 6'1-6'3 height range), it becomes a sport for athletes of all heights. If you also remove a throw and add in an actual endurance event like the 5000 you have a Octaththalon with 2 jumps, 2 sprints, 2 throws, and 2 endurance events and the winner truly would be all around athlete. The sport would be open to athletes of all body types and have much more participation. When I run the IOC im making it an Octathalon with the following events: 100M 400M 1500M 5000M DISC SHOT LONG JUMP TRIPLE JUMP These events can be trained at all local tracks with minimal equipment, and support staff.
We included golf because it's one of the most technically and mentally demanding sports out there. While it doesn’t rely on explosive strength or stamina, the mental pressure of making every shot count is intense, requiring serious focus and resilience. Also the precision needed to consistently hit accurate shots is incredibly challenging. It's a different type of 'hard.'
Great question! As far as I know, there isn’t an official multi-event competition like the decathlon for racquet sports, but it would be an interesting concept!
Full disclosure, I became a competitive cyclist after my track career was over, and I pretty much agree-what Tour de France athletes endure for 3 weeks is nothing short of superhuman (the watts that Pogačar put out in the final stages this year were so ridiculous, I don’t even know what to think). That said, after researching for this video, I realized it’s a tough comparison. The decathlon tests such a wide range of skills, and the pressure is on a different level-being near-perfect across 10 events creates a unique mental and physical strain that’s hard to match. It’s definitely a fun comparison!
I wouldn’t say the title is clickbait. It’s bold, sure, but the video backs up the claim with solid arguments about why the decathlon is so challenging. It’s not just endurance, speed, or strength-it’s all of that, and more, rolled into one competition. Appreciate your take, though!
Never underestimate the needed technique in cycling. Riding a small bike a curvy road down with more then 60 miles per hour is as techniquell and psychological demending as it gets. There are around 600 cyclist on world tour level and at least one of them will die every year by riding a bike just during the competition. Pro cycling is arguably the single most dangerous and one of the most physical and mind demending sport.
Anyone who thinks there is a harder sport than the one that over the years has required people to front up to the likes of Ernie Shavers, Marvin Haggler, George Foreman etc needs to have a rethink.
pff really?? Tons of regular people, amateurs complete marathons every year. Sometimes multiple in a year. Everyone knows at least one other person who's done a marathon. How many decathletes are there? Are there amateur decathletes even at all?
@@Yurkevich22 i could complete the 10 events given the opportunity. doesn't mean i'd be any good at them - just like 99% of people who complete a marathon. Completing is not the same as competing.
@@TheTrailRabbit you could, but how many people actually do though? also, you sure you could do a pole vault? And there are plenty of sports harder than a marathon. Any ultra, or an ironman for example.
True. Even most semi pro cyclists could not survive the tour. However watching tour de france riders attempt the 110 hurdles, shot put or pole vault etc. would be pretty funny. They are incredible athletes but very 1 dimensional.
@@OutperformOfficial Yes, I would agree that the decathlon might require the greatest set of ability and strength across multiple disciplines, but i would not say it is the hardest sport in the world. Most people could probably at least complete most events (perhaps not competitively), but most people (99.9%) could not even ride the tour at a snail's pace, much less race pace.
One of the hardest aspects has to be the lack of "glory." In a sport where the winner is considered the world’s greatest all-around athlete, why aren't they given more air time?
People prefer to watch the absolute best at each event rather than a group of jack-of-all-trades athletes, albeit still very good.
As a TV director, it's hard to cover. It takes a lot of work to explain the scoring to the fans. They can't see it easily. Field events in general are hard to cover. Then, because it takes so long, you have to cover it by editing a package. Usually they take the easy way out, show the package of the first 9 events (that have happened over the last 36 hours) then watch the guys struggle through their worst event where the actual winner is the guy crossing the finish line 30 seconds after the first runner in the race.
Cuz truth is Rugby, Aussie Rules, and ice hockey are better athletes. They just use different techniques. A decathlon is essentially an NFL combine with a cardio test.
As a former decathlete, the minutes in the lead up to the 1500m feel something like the dread of being in the trenches at Gallipoli waiting for the order to charge into gunfire. The end of the 1500 is something akin to a trauma ward. I did one in 2 days of 100+ degree heat. One of the competitors lost 12kg during the event. It's a brutal sport with never ending nagging injuries and foot soreness.
There's a kind of code to never mention the 1500m during the 2 day event as the mere thought of it is instantly demoralizing.
Like a walk to the gallows…
That’s an incredible perspective! Love the Gallipoli comparison. Losing 12kg in 100+ degree heat is insane, and the way the 1500m hangs over the whole event, unspoken but inevitable, says so much about the mental and physical toll. Thanks for sharing-it really highlights just how brutal the decathlon truly is.
Allergies were killing me during the discus...anything can get you lol honestly I didn't think it was that hard but there was a lot of dred knowing you gotta finish with a damn 1500m
I respect your opinion as a former deacthlete, but how would you know that?
@@eastsidepb8139 How did I know that a fellow competitor lost 12kg? He told me. I believed it, as I saw him shrink, and lost 6kg myself. He ran a 4.12 1500m btw, I ran 4.30. He was a beast, came 2nd in that Nationals, me 6th.
Heptathlete here- I am so glad that we don’t have to pole vault.
They should add it and make an octathlon.
Female Hep’s and PV’s are such similar athletes
i just don’t do any of it
and the 800 is way more forgiving than the 1500
The real problem preventing decathlon to have more people practicing it is that not everyone has acess to pole vault equipment.
True. Even people that do have access to PV often choose not to even try the decathlon because of that one event. It takes a lot of skill and guts.
I wanted to pole vault for so many years before I was able to.
My second year in junior college, I was in the best shape of my life. Was convinced I could do anything. Told the decathlon coach that I wanted to try the event. He told me me not waste his time and I kept on telling him I wanted to do it. He gave it a one second thought and told me to report to the pole vault for that day’s practice. That’s when my decathlete journey ended lol
True there are a lot of athletes from poor countries with great potential for the decathlon but do not have the opportunity unless they leave their countries.
Access to a track is getting harder and harder. With each track they build, they build a better fence. Track owners (in the USA; schools) are freaked out about liability for an injury and pole vault freaks them out the most. Climbing a fence is an essential skill decathletes need to develop. The diplomacy to get the keys to the vault equipment is one of the next skills to learn.
"if the average person trained like we do it would kill them, literally" 🤣 Totally agree. It's absolutely the hardest event in t&f, most people have no idea how insanely difficult the decathlon is. Training for even 1 or 2 events at that level is a full on commitment but 10? Crazy. Serious respect to all decathletes!
haha, yeah Lindon Victor pretty much nailed it.
The time commitment is insane. You can alternate throwing days when not training for running events but disc and javelin have huge time requirements just to get quality technique down. Shot put has the lowest time requirement but the biggest weight room requirement-thankfully time requirement covers all events. The three shirt running events overlap with running a time need with long jump and a bit of high jump but it’s not wise to sprint train on the track daily. Pole vault had the biggest need for everything and the most dangerous event to be weak in. If you’re only vaulting 4.5m you better be a 17m plus shot putter AND 65-70m javelin thrower AND a 55m plus disc thrower AND a 7.75m plus long jumper. This doesn’t include the physical and mental endurance training needed of hours between events. It’s easily 10-12 hours in the gym and minimum of 20 hours on the track and 25-35 hours on the field per week.
yea i love watching all thoes pros at the end falling over and dying after a 4:45 1500m..... Wish I couldn't say I did that sophomore year of high school. All you guys train is fast twitch fibers for explosive strength events. And you need to be tall for 110 hurdles and high jump. Add in you need to come from money to have access pole vault stuff (and someone that can coach it) and its pretty much a sport for tall upper-middle class dudes.
"Fatigue is the baseline from which they operate" what a great way to explain the difficulty of the Decathlon
Appreciate that!
But it takes place over two days are you kidding me? God knows how much time is in between each event which they only run once.
I’m a college decathlete right now and one thing this video does not mention is the fact that you can only allow yourself to do so many decathlons in a year especially when it comes to professional. These guys might only do 3 decathlons total during a spring/summer season just because of the mental and physical toll it has on them. Dialing in a so call perfect decathlon is one of the biggest challenges too there’s almost always something that goes south.
That's a great point and absolutely correct.
As a freshman in highschool I did the decathalon, it was so much fun, I was able to do events I didnt get to do during the rest of the season and overall wasnt a bad experience. BUT. i placed very low, because I wasn't being competitve. there was this guy, about 6'5, and ripped, senior year, and he was a decathlete through and through. his discus was over 100, jav over 120, pole vault at 12, while running a 11.7 100. I would go through the rest but I dont remember them lol. he was incredible, but after all of that, he went to the 1500 in first place, and pulled a hamstring on the third lap. he dropped to about 70th. my heart broke for him.
Oh man that is a heartbreaker. Great example of how the decathlon can crush you at any point!
Zarnowski’s book in the 90’s listed the avg Olympic Dec champ at 6-2, 195lbs
I love how you executed this video, especially when comparing it to other sports
Appreciate it! 🙏
I suddenly want to see an event that also includes tennis, golf and boxing.
haha, I'd watch it!
The sad part about the decathlon is I won the 2024 NJCAA D III National championship and hardly nobody I know knows what the decathlon is so when I share that fact they have no idea what I’m talking about. I hope the track events gets some more light shined on to it becuase I feel it deserves a lot more respect
Couldn't agree more, that's why we make these videos 👊
Ok, I'm impressed. While I still think Boxing/MMA is harder (due to lasting physical trauma), definitely have a new appreciation for how hard the decathlon is, even the training. Great video and info!
Well said!
Duplantis just ran a sub 10.4. Pole vaulters usually are good long jumpers too. He might be a complete question mark on the throws but he can pick up over 3000 point by his 100m time, vaulting over 6m and jumping over 7m.
You should have millions of subs!
Appreciate that 👊
It's so annoying the 100-400 track stars get most of the publicity (with PED suspicion) but the decathletes rarely get shown even at olympic level, and only 3 attempts at throwing events!
I wish the event got more recognition and TV coverage, at least now if you get peacock you can pretty much watch the whole thing. Still there wasn't any prime-time coverage of the Pole Vault where Warner no-heighted which was crazy.
Then there is icosathlon which is like "weaknest digust me" haha. I did some deca for fun and totally unprepared, but the icosathlon scare me ^^
Great video! I have my first decathlon coming up in a couple months and am so nervous for it but excited! Get to push I body to the limit and see what I can handle
Thanks so much! That's awesome-congrats on taking on your first decathlon! It’s totally normal to feel nervous, but that excitement will fuel you when you’re out there. Wishing you the best of luck-go crush it and see what you’re capable of!
I guess I've pretty much seen it all. I trained at the same time as Bruce Jenner (1976 Olympics) on the same track. I competed against Bob Richards and Boo Morcom in decathlons. They were in the 1948 Olympics. On through Georg Werthner 1980, John Crist 1984, Tim Bright 1988 and Dave Johnson 1992. I must be one stubborn SOB because I beat most of them in one or two events but got slaughtered in others and cumulatively. Since then, as an old man, I've officiated Ashton Eaton 2012-6, Damien Warner 2020 and Lindon Victor 2024.
Honestly I think I’m too short to try this out 😂, I’m 5’6 and I don’t think I could go over the hurdles comfortably every time
The hurdles can be intimidating, especially when you're on the shorter side. But don’t let that hold you back-there are plenty of athletes who’ve excelled despite being shorter. You might surprise yourself.
Great presentation! What about Ultra Trail Running though?
Thank you. Ultra trail running is definitely an incredible test of endurance and mental toughness. The sheer distance and unpredictable terrain push athletes to their limits in a way that's hard to compare. I think they are different tests of human capacity.
The time needed to learn technique in so many events is a big part of the difficulty
Absolutely! Just learning the technique for even one or two field events can take years.
How about Icosathlon ????
I had to look that one up. 20 events in 2 days is insane. Adding the steeplechase, 800m, 5k, 400 hurdles etc. and finishing with the 10k. I can't wrap my mind around how athletes can finish that and live, great topic for another video.
Olympic style decathlon is not hardest. It takes place over two days. How much time you have in between events again? Aussie Rules, Ice Hockey and Rugby are far harder and a real measure of a man. Heck even Spartan Race or Crossfit (both are types of multiple event races) are harder too. Is like those people think NBA players are athletic cuz of combine numbers. Is the NFL combine hard?
Thanks for sharing your perspective! Every sport has its own unique challenges, but what makes the decathlon so demanding is the sheer range of skills it requires - speed, strength, endurance, and technical ability across ten very different events. Two days may sound manageable, but the toll it takes, both physically and mentally, is intense.
No. Decathlon is a sport for 6'2 185 lb men with explosive strength and access to expensive pole vault equipment. You have 3 jumps, 3 sprints, 3 throws, and 1 semi-endurance event. If you take out the 110H and the high jump (which both heavily favor athletes in the 6'1-6'3 height range), it becomes a sport for athletes of all heights. If you also remove a throw and add in an actual endurance event like the 5000 you have a Octaththalon with 2 jumps, 2 sprints, 2 throws, and 2 endurance events and the winner truly would be all around athlete. The sport would be open to athletes of all body types and have much more participation.
When I run the IOC im making it an Octathalon with the following events:
100M
400M
1500M
5000M
DISC
SHOT
LONG JUMP
TRIPLE JUMP
These events can be trained at all local tracks with minimal equipment, and support staff.
The fact that golf was even mentioned is a joke 😂
We included golf because it's one of the most technically and mentally demanding sports out there. While it doesn’t rely on explosive strength or stamina, the mental pressure of making every shot count is intense, requiring serious focus and resilience. Also the precision needed to consistently hit accurate shots is incredibly challenging. It's a different type of 'hard.'
@@OutperformOfficial why not darts or esports mate? 😂
on a different note, why isn't there a similar concept for racquet sports? or is there?
Great question! As far as I know, there isn’t an official multi-event competition like the decathlon for racquet sports, but it would be an interesting concept!
Yes, it’s called racketlon 👍
BRUCE JENNER
Hi
No doubt it’s a challenge, but competing in the Tour de France has to be more gruelling.
Full disclosure, I became a competitive cyclist after my track career was over, and I pretty much agree-what Tour de France athletes endure for 3 weeks is nothing short of superhuman (the watts that Pogačar put out in the final stages this year were so ridiculous, I don’t even know what to think). That said, after researching for this video, I realized it’s a tough comparison. The decathlon tests such a wide range of skills, and the pressure is on a different level-being near-perfect across 10 events creates a unique mental and physical strain that’s hard to match. It’s definitely a fun comparison!
The greatest skill for a decathlete is staying healthy
Well said!
I believe there are a lot event more grueling, thats just clickbaiting. However I think its a primemeasurement of athletic ability
I wouldn’t say the title is clickbait. It’s bold, sure, but the video backs up the claim with solid arguments about why the decathlon is so challenging. It’s not just endurance, speed, or strength-it’s all of that, and more, rolled into one competition. Appreciate your take, though!
Decathlon > CrossFit
Never underestimate the needed technique in cycling. Riding a small bike a curvy road down with more then 60 miles per hour is as techniquell and psychological demending as it gets.
There are around 600 cyclist on world tour level and at least one of them will die every year by riding a bike just during the competition. Pro cycling is arguably the single most dangerous and one of the most physical and mind demending sport.
Great points! Just riding in the peloton is incredibly stressful, 1 second of a lapse in concentration can be disastrous.
Same as swimming.
Hardest is an understatement at this point.
Anyone who thinks there is a harder sport than the one that over the years has required people to front up to the likes of Ernie Shavers, Marvin Haggler, George Foreman etc needs to have a rethink.
Hardest, as in most grueling? No. That award goes to competitive Nordic skiing.
The marathon is harder
pff really?? Tons of regular people, amateurs complete marathons every year. Sometimes multiple in a year. Everyone knows at least one other person who's done a marathon. How many decathletes are there? Are there amateur decathletes even at all?
Great point! 33,000 runners applied for just the Boston marathon this year and over 22,000 competed.
@@OutperformOfficial so you're counting people who walked in with eluid kipchoge? haha ok. i kinda knew this wasn't a serious channel from the start.
@@Yurkevich22 i could complete the 10 events given the opportunity. doesn't mean i'd be any good at them - just like 99% of people who complete a marathon. Completing is not the same as competing.
@@TheTrailRabbit you could, but how many people actually do though? also, you sure you could do a pole vault? And there are plenty of sports harder than a marathon. Any ultra, or an ironman for example.
see if any of these guys could ride the tour de france. not.
True. Even most semi pro cyclists could not survive the tour. However watching tour de france riders attempt the 110 hurdles, shot put or pole vault etc. would be pretty funny. They are incredible athletes but very 1 dimensional.
@@OutperformOfficial Yes, I would agree that the decathlon might require the greatest set of ability and strength across multiple disciplines, but i would not say it is the hardest sport in the world. Most people could probably at least complete most events (perhaps not competitively), but most people (99.9%) could not even ride the tour at a snail's pace, much less race pace.
No, the hardest thing is the ultra marathon
nah that shits hella easy